


Super Dimension Magical Girl Lyrical Skitter

by ecs05norway



Category: Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha | Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, Worm (Web Serial Novel)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crossover, Gen, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-15
Updated: 2015-01-29
Packaged: 2018-02-13 07:49:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2142936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ecs05norway/pseuds/ecs05norway
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Taylor Hebert saved the universe. You know what they say: The only easy day was yesterday.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Congratulations, It's a Girl

So, I've been noodling with scenes here and there, and plots of various types, and don't worry, the whole Armsmaster/Skitter thing is still being worked on, it's just kinda taken a backburner to this one. I'll get more of it soon.

And one of the scenarios that so rarely seems to get any interest is the post-canon situation. Sure, there's Copacetic and one of the Exalted crossovers (both of which are Awesome, by the way).

I've been posting this first over at another forum I frequent (no, not SB), but at this point I'm confident enough to give it a bit of a wider audience.

So! Episode Zero, Super Dimension Magical Girl Lyrical Skitter, _hajimarimasu!_

\--- * --- 1.0 --- * --- 1.0 --- * ---

The laboratory facility was brightly lit, and the walls painted a gleaming white, the better for any speck of contamination or distortion to show itself instantly. When you were working with the dimensional boundaries, instantly spotting _any_ breach was of the utmost necessity. Especially with this particular boundary.

The Baerzen wall had sprung into being some thirty years previously, sealing off a massive swath of dimensional space. It was named after the only explorer to have returned from beyond it, who had warned his comrades of immense monsters, madness, and danger to the entire multiverse, before expiring. The facility was officially the Baerzen Memorial Dimensional Transit Research Institute, but the scientists, mages, and soldiers who worked there just called it The Hole.

Major Tiida Lanster, chief of security for the Hole, set aside his coffee mug to look over the new transfer seated across the desk from him. She was young, clearly a recent Academy graduate, with long auburn hair and wide blue eyes. Freshly polished Second-Lieutenant's tabs gleamed on the collar of her uniform. He paused a moment to look down at her file.

"So, Lieutenant... Takamachi. Let me be the first to welcome you to the Baerzen Facility security team. Given your previous experience, I suppose you were expecting something a little more exciting for your first official assignment with the Bureau?"

The girl blushed. And actually giggled. She stifled it as soon as she realized what she was doing, but still, she giggled. Charmingly young. "Ano, er, well," she said, "The Jewel Seed incident could've been pretty messy, but it ended well, didn't it? And the Book of Darkness, well, I'm really hoping _nobody_ has to deal with anything that, er, exciting, ever again."

"... We'll see, Lieutenant, and I think we're all hoping the same. But that's why we have security at facilities like these, to make _sure_ that kind of thing doesn't happen again. As much as we're able, that is." Tiida took another sip of coffee and watched the girl for another long moment. "Your assignment here does _not_ mean," he finally added, "that command _expects_ something to happen. Given the kind of research being done here, however, the possibility is all too real. That's not why you're here, though, Lieutenant Takamachi."

She nodded, sitting straighter. "Yes, Major. Colonel Grangeitz told me when he gave me the assignment that he just wanted me to learn to work with a team."

Good, she was paying attention. That was what might keep her alive long enough to realize the potential described in the reports Tiida had read. He let his eyes drift to the photograph on the corner of his desk, then forced his attention back to the Lieutenant. "More than that, you need to learn to work with a commanding officer that isn't a close personal friend. Which I'm not. And the actual director of the facility... well, her you _do_ know. I do hope your past won't be a factor in your ability to work with Doctor Testarossa?"

Whatever answer she might have been about to give was erased by the blare of sirens and the urgent calls for security to the main research lab.

\- 1.0 --- * --- 1.0 -

_Ten minutes ago_

The main research lab was active today. Consoles displayed graphs and plots of nearby dimensional space, control indicators blinked on and off, and there was a comforting soft hum of magitronics. (Mostly generated by the various machines' cooling units, really, but it was genuinely comforting. Many people found actual silence disturbing.)

At the center of the lab, several large objects that - to the untrained eye - looked vaguely like massive energy cannons of some sort surrounded a slightly-raised dais some three meters across. Each of the probes pulsed in a slightly different rhythm, lights trailing down their length to illustrate the dimensional energy they were pouring into the space tau-adjacent to the lab (which is to say, identically located in three-dimensional space, but slightly displaced along an orthogonal dimensional axis).

"Dimensional probe experiment number six four alpha three seven, cycle six, supervising: Doctor Presea Testarossa, Doctor Lawrence Fleinhardt, Doctor Peter Bishop, security adjunct Sergeant Raymond Marlowe." The computer voice listed a variety of testing parameters, echoing the commands the scientists had previously input. "Ready to commence at your command, Doctor Testarossa."

The lead scientist on the project was tall and brown-haired, with only faint wrinkling around her eyes to show her age. "If security concurs?" she asked, turning briefly in the direction of the black-uniformed watchdog.

"No issues here, Doctor," replied Marlowe. "Please carry on."

"Very well. Begin trial six four alpha three seven, cycle six," Presea instructed the computer.

The power began to rise in the dimensional probes, the lights growing stronger and brighter. In some the pulses quickened, in others they slowed, as the machines began to force a specifically-designed resonance onto the dimensional boundaries surrounding the dais.

The next minute or two passed as so many had before, in the hundreds of trials the research team had run, trying to find ways to peer beyond the Wall. Colors shimmered and twisted as the fabric of space-time itself was subjected to stresses and forces beyond the imagination of those who had first seen the Wall rise. Watching a series of readouts, the three scientists adjusted their equipment carefully, guiding the immense energies that stretched and twisted at the part of space-time that the Wall occupied. With a very little luck, they hoped to open a tiny breach in that wall, a way to push through a probe to examine what lay beyond.

Minutes into their experiment, something _else_ pressed against the Wall. Something from the other side.

"We're getting flaring in the Gimel ranges," Doctor Fleinhardt said, noticing the first signs of it. "Something's pushing back against the probe."

"It's never done _that_ before," remarked Bishop. "Whoa, that's interesting. I'm getting something in the Yod range, too. Increasing power to compensate."

Presea nodded and adjusted controls of her own. "I'm adjusting the gamma frequencies as well. This is very promising." Her pursed lips did not display pleasure, however. It reminded her too well, also, of the tragic day her first career had ended.

The experiment continued for some minutes more, the twisting, shifting colors occupying the space above the dais growing in intensity and complexity as the energy patterns built. The trio moved quickly to adapt their probes to each new variation in the resonance that built in the Wall.

And then it all came to a sudden, juddering halt. Electricity arced around the probes as energy fed back into them from the Wall, the colors started to solidify into a gleaming fractal pattern, and the room filled with the groaning hum of overstressed magitronics.

With a crash, several of the probes went dark, smoke billowing from them as their delicate circuitry overloaded and shorted out. The twisting, shifting color-space above the dais froze, glowed brighter, and then fell apart in a shower of sparks, leaving a single solid form slumped on the gleaming white surface. A closer look proved the form to be human, scarred, bleeding, and incomplete, the right arm terminating in a cauterized stump just below the elbow.

"Congratulations, Doc, it's a girl," quipped Bishop.

Sirens howled through the facility as Sergeant Marlowe pressed his panic button, and then the lights went out.

\- 1.0 --- * --- 1.0 -

"… in short," Presea concluded, "We were able to open a small dimensional distortion, but before we could insert a probe, we apparently intersected another distortion coming from the far side. The result propelled our, ah, guest, through the breach thus created, and the resonance of that passage appears to have closed the breach. We're still measuring the effects on the Wall, but it looks like it may actually have been locally reinforced by this."

Nanoha sat at the back of the room, one of several minor officers invited to the briefing. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat; despite her assurances to Major Lanster, she was still wary of Presea. Their first meeting had gone so very poorly, after all, even if everything _had_ worked out in the end.

"Speaking of our guest," the director added, "What can you tell us about her, Doctor Yamada?"

"Of course, Madam Director." He gestured, his Device projecting a holographic image over the table. It showed the girl who had appeared in the laboratory, now cleaned and dressed in a hospital gown, resting on a standard diagnostic bed. "The subject is, so far as we can tell, mostly human, with only the most minimal of augmentations. Female, obviously enough, and I'd put her age between sixteen and twenty-two standard years. She has several fairly significant scars, the most obvious being the severed arm, which appears to have been cauterized rather crudely by whatever event caused it. Poor girl's been through the wars," he commented.

The image zoomed in on her head, overlaying a transparent layer of internal detail, rotating to focus on the brain. "The augmentation I mentioned consists of one, possibly two, small sub-nodes added to the brain. Possibly some sort of processing support, or the like; it appears to have been directly connected to her Linker Core. I can't get much detail on the augment itself because it was mostly destroyed just before whatever event brought her here."

"This would be the injury that left her bleeding from multiple head wounds in the middle of my laboratory, Doctor Yamada?"

"Precisely, madam Director. It's…" He trailed off for a moment, reaching up to run one hand over his slicked-back black hair. "It's at once one of the most barbaric, yet surgically precise, that I've ever seen."

Nanoha frowned. That didn't sound good. It looked like Presea agreed, too.

"Explain, please, Doctor Yamada."

The medical specialist rotated the projection yet again, this time adding highlights to display the wound traces he described. "The subject was shot, twice, with a mass weapon, some sort of slugthrower. Targeted _very_ precisely so as to do the maximum damage to the augmentation with minimal effect on the rest of the brain. Whoever did this was either incredibly lucky, or knew _exactly_ what they were doing. Given the probabilities of such a thing happening by chance, I lean towards the latter option, no matter how incredible it seems. Someone deliberately destroyed her augmentation while taking incredible effort to do so without injuring her further… and did so using the crudest tools imaginable. I could do better with, with stone knives and bearskins."

\-- _tsuzuku_


	2. Unfamiliar Ceiling

My great battle against the Scion entity was complete. Now, I was lost, not merely in time and space, but for purpose, for destiny. I had achieved my destiny, defeated the greatest foe possible... what was I to do now? Soon, I would begin my search for an answer.

Super Dimension Magical Girl Lyrical Skitter, Episode One, _hajimarimasu!_

\--- * --- 1.1 --- * --- 1.1 --- * ---

I've woken up in enough hospital beds to know what they're like. Cheap white sheets, bleached and washed too many times. Thin mattress. Sensor pads and IVs. The soft, plaintive beeping of a heart monitor. I actually had to pause and think for a moment, remembering how I'd gotten here. Was it Behemoth? The oil rig? No, wait, that's right. The empty Earth. My power out of control. I'd just been getting a handle on speech when Contessa found me. "Having our own pet Endbringer puts us in the 'too dangerous to live' category," I mumbled. Gunshot. Pain. Darkness. Cheap, scratchy sheets. No bugs.

No bugs.

I couldn't feel -anything- in my radius. No humans. No bugs. No other animals. Either I was in some sort of ultimate isolation, or whatever Contessa had tried had worked. I was alive, at least somewhat lucid, and - seemingly - without my powers.

It was time to get up and get moving, find out where I am and who's holding me. I started to roll to one side to push myself up and off the bed, only to discover that I was stuck to the mattress somehow. Okay, this was new.

It also meant that whoever had found me didn't want me moving. Which might mean that they knew who I was, and assumed I was dangerous even without my powers. Or that might be why I couldn't sense anyone, they were keeping out of my range to avoid being taken over.

Smart of them.

I kept pushing myself up, maybe I could break free of it, or tear the mattress free of the bed. Just had to get out of the room, find out where I was....

The door opened.

Wait. What? I hadn't sensed anything, no one in my range, but the door was open, and someone was coming in. Tall, vaguely asian, light brown hair, male. I narrowed my eyes to focus on him.

"Please, just lie back and relax, miss. Don't try to sit up. You've been through some pretty serious injuries and you're still recovering." He had an odd accent, slightly fluid, but with some strange tones. Like something Eastern European filtered through Chinese. It was actually kind of nice.

"Where am I? What is this place? And who are you? And can I get a glass of water?"

With a casual shrug, he sat down on the chair next to the bed and waved his hand at the frame. The mattress moved with a slight hum, repositioning itself so I could sit up to talk with him. I sighed softly and laid back against the pillows. He set a cup of water in a cradle near my head, with a straw that let me sip at it when I wanted to.

"Well," he started. "To answer your questions in order, you're in the infirmary at the Baerzen Memorial Research Institute. Which, to address your second question, is a research facility assigned to investigate the dimensional anomaly we call the Baerzen Wall. As for me, I'm the Institute's chief medical officer, Doctor Hiram Yamada."

I blinked. Stared at him.

"... What?"

He repeated the explanation. More slowly. And added, "I -am- sorry, miss. We had hoped you wouldn't suffer any reduced capacity from the injury. I'm going to need to run a series of cognitive tests, I hope you don't mind."

Injury. Right. I'd been shot. Twice. In the head. By _fucking Contessa_. "How - how serious was the damage?"

"Obviously not unsurvivable. You seem to be lucid, if slightly confused, but that's understandable." He paused for a moment, then asked, "If I could ask your own name, to start with?"

The tests took several hours, actually, and I considered myself rather fortunate that they also provided me with a meal while we worked. I was asked to solve math problems, recite poetry and tongue-twisters, answer questions about passages I'd read, and more. "Damn, I'd thought I was done with school," I muttered at one point.

"You're never done learning," Doctor Yamada told me. "Not until you're dead. And since you are clearly not dead...."

He'd mentioned a dimensional anomaly before, but I hadn't put it together yet. If they actually have people that _study_ dimensional physics, though, then... they've got to be familiar with alternate-dimensions to begin with. Which means I'm probably nowhere near Earth Bet. Which ... might be a good thing. First things first... "I'll wait, then, Doc. You're the medical type, just how bad off am I?"

He consulted his clipboard, settling back in his seat. It wasn't really a clipboard, some sort of tablet computer.

"The biggest issues when you arrived, well, I'm sure you were aware of the amputated arm, that seems to have been some time ago?"

I nodded.

"And of course the gunshot wounds to the head. Those seemed to be much more recent," he said. "We've gotten those taken care of, mostly; they seemed to be fairly clean wounds to begin with. The cognitive tests don't show any noticeable degradation, of course, we can't really compare it to your previous state, so we can't be fully certain on that. We did have to completely remove the remains of the augmented node, however. I'm sorry, but it was unsalvageable."

Augmentation? What in - oh. My _powers_. Not working. Fucking Contessa must've shot me right in the Corona Pollentia. That explains _that_.

"It's - well, uhm," I said, then my stomach rumbled, rather loudly. "It's going to take some getting used to, operating without it."

"Well, don't worry," he said. "We may not use that kind of internal augmentation for magic use here, but we're not unfamiliar with the principles."

I paused. Blinked. Set down the water cup. "You call it magic?"

He shrugged, leaning back a bit in his seat. "I really don't know what else we'd call it. It's been the basis of our technology for centuries now."

I closed my eyes for a moment to think about it. _Centuries? Magic??_ I held up a hand to stop him talking while I thought about that for a minute. Magic. I suppose if we'd gotten our first parahumans before we knew enough science to understand what was happening, we'd have decided that was what was happening. But if it's the _basis of their technology_... yikes. _And he mentioned a dimensional anomaly earlier..._

After another sip of water, I asked, "So, what do you do? Or is it, uhm, rude or something to ask?"

"No, no, not at all." He made a few notes on his clipboard-tablet and nodded. "I'm a medical specialist, so of course I focused on useful spells and procedures for that. Diagnostics, tissue scanning, trauma treatment, that sort of thing. I can do basic shielding and offense - " he lifted a hand, there was a swirl of weird writing around his wrist, and a forcefield gleamed into existence in front of his hand. "Got that in 'Principles of Thaumaturgy'. Almost everybody can manage a low-level like that one."

_Everybody_? Powers weren't supposed to be that neat and simple. If everyone could learn everyone else's - Part of me imagined what I could've done with Tattletale's Thinker powers, or Vista's space-warping. If I could've learned _anyone_ 's powers, like some kind of new Eidolon? Damn. I'd have had the PRT and the gangs in a bidding war, or worse. And here they _took it for granted_. That meant I had to assume that _anyone_ I ran into on this base would be able to pull off something like that. That upped the game considerably, and without my own powers... best to just play along, for now.

"It's... very different from what I'm used to," I said, cautiously.

"Well, don't worry," he said. "Security will issue you a basic Device; it's standard for guests. With your permission I'd like to have it include a medical monitor, so we can keep track of your vital signs in case you have any further complications."

I'd been expecting that, for certain. No way they were going to let a complete stranger walk around a secure facility.

"Tell you what, Doc, show me how to run the program, and interpret the readings, so I can see what's going on myself, and you're on."

He looked up at me for a moment, tapped something on the tablet, then said, "I'm afraid that's not a metaphor I'm familiar with, but may I assume it implies consent, subject to the caveat you named?"

"You may," I assured him, and anything else I was going to say was interrupted by my rumbling tummy.

"At the very least, we can get you a meal," he said, with a paternal sort of smile. "I don't see any reason why you shouldn't have something right away. I'll send someone down for it."

A few minutes later, courtesy of a chipper girl in a white and blue uniform, I was eating a pleasant lunch of soup, bread, cheese, and fruit, with a promise of something more substantial for dinner if that stayed down.

\- 1.1 --- * --- 1.1 -

We didn't talk much while I ate. I was focussed on eating, he was contemplating whatever the medical sensors were telling him about my condition, and gofer-girl was standing guard out in the hall, apparently. (Yamada explained, when I asked, that she was Security, not Medical, and was there to keep an eye on me. Which was just good planning on their part. Not that I planned to get up to No Good, unless this "Time-Space Administration Bureau" of theirs turned out to be some sort of dimensional-conquering-army conspiracy like we'd thought Cauldron was.)

It was time to start poking around and learn what was really going on here. "Any chance I can get up for a walk around, Doc?" They'd had me walking a line down the hall during the tests, just to get a feel for my balance, and that had seemed fine. I hadn't been in bed long enough for my leg muscles to atrophy or anything like that.

"No problem at all, certainly. You will allow the Lieutenant to escort you, though, won't you? We'd appreciate it greatly. Minimizes any chance of misunderstandings."

And minimizes any chance of me getting into places they don't want me to. Which is okay, for now. I'll play along, let them trust me, and then, if I need to... "Sure, Doc, sure. No problem."

\- 1.1 --- * --- 1.1 -

The all-too-chipper gofer-girl's name turned out to be Takamachi, which was a bit of a surprise as with auburn hair and blue eyes she didn't look the least bit asian. I put it down to weird dimensional shenanigans and walked on, listening to her describe each area I was going to be allowed to visit. I got to see the gym, at least, which didn't look particularly unusual. Miss Takamachi told me the medical types didn't want me stressing my system until they'd had a bit more observation time, though, so all I got to do was look. There wasn't a library; all the books were on electronic texts that could be accessed through the base computer network "and we'll get you access to that right away, soon as we get to the security office, okay?"

"Sure, sure, Lieutenant," I answered her. "When do we do that?"

"Well, the rec room's right down here," she said, "that and the cafeteria, and security's right past that."

"Why don't we do security first, then you can show me how the rec room _really_ works, rather than just standing around looking cool?"

"Great idea!" She grinned and, practically bouncing off the walls in her eagerness, lead me down the hall to the security office. _Better to find out just how secure this place is, first..._

\- 1.1 --- * --- 1.1 -

"... and this is my boss, Major Lanster, he's head of security for the whole facility."

I nodded and smiled. "A pleasure to meet you, Major. Do I bow, salute, or shake your hand?"

He rose from his seat with a welcoming smile. "Well, you aren't in uniform, so a salute's out of the question. And Nanoha here is the only one that bows, apparently that's how they do it where she comes from." He shrugged. "I've never heard of shaking hands before, how do you do that one?"

_Right. Alien culture. Be on your toes, watch for assumptions._ "Not much to it. We just clasp each other's right hands, shake briefly, and that's it." I stuck out my hand, he shrugged again and stuck out his, and we shook hands. He didn't have much trouble figuring out what to do. "What do they do where you're from?"

"Oh, it's sort of like your shaking hands, but we just touch the palms together." He sat back down and brought up one of those holographic screens I'd been seeing all over the place, this one showing my photograph, so I knew he was looking at my file.

"I'll keep that in mind," I said, taking a seat across from him, while Takamachi slipped into the other chair.

He took a few minutes to review my file, most of which consisted of information I'd provided them in the first place so it wasn't as if I was going to contradict myself and tell him it was all lies. (Most of it was, conveniently, true.)

"So, Ms. Hebert, since it looks like you're going to be our guest for a while, the director and I have authorized you for access to the base network." He produced an object from a desk drawer, once I had a clear view it looked to be some sort of wide bracelet, the sort that covers most of your forearm, made of white plastic. "This is a basic storage device, we keep a few on hand for guests or temporary replacements. If you'll press your thumb to the screen there?"

Frowning slightly, I did so, and a light passed over the screen, like a photocopier scanning a page. _They're actually just handing me one of these things? Okay, it's probably minimal capabilities, security locks, and so on... I'll have to experiment, find out what I can do with it. Still... they seem to be trusting me awfully much._

"New user acknowledged," a mechanical voice stated from the armband. "Please state user name."

"Taylor Hebert." That was the other reason it disturbed me. It was a lot like the armbands Dragon used to hand out at Endbringer fights. But apparently these people used it for, well, just about everything. And, again, trusted _me_ with one. Me who they barely know.

"New user initiated. Thank you, my master." it said.

"And there you go, it's yours for the duration of your stay with us," the Major told me. "It will serve as your primary access terminal for the base network, communications, facilities access... all you need. It will open any door you're cleared to enter... if the door won't open, please don't try to get in."

I nodded. "I wouldn't want to make more work for your department than I already have, Major. Thank you for this." I bit my lip briefly, then slid it around the stump of my arm. It locked in place with a click.

Lanster and Takamachi both eyed that for a moment, then the Major spoke up. "And I'll talk to Doctor Yamada about seeing what we can do about -that- as well, Ms Hebert. Prosthetic limbs are not cheap, but the technology is pleasantly mature. We'll get you fitted and functional within a week, I'm sure."

That would certainly be pleasant. I made sure to let them know I'd appreciate it.

\- 1.1 --- * --- 1.1 -

The rec room turned out to be about what you'd expect - table games, a lounge area with holo-screens for movies and video games, that sort of thing. I spent about twenty minutes learning to play Pajang, which seemed to be some sort of cross between air hockey, ping-pong, and golf.

When my stomach started to rumble again, I promised myself I'd come back to check out the video games later. Most of them probably needed two hands anyway.

It was kind of ironic for someone who'd just woken up from a coma a few hours before, but I was actually rather tired. Takamachi walked me back to my room, pointing out her own quarters along the way - she'd been moved to a room right down the hall from mine so she could keep an eye on me, although the official story, of course, was that it was so she could take care of anything I needed.

"And these are your quarters, Ms. Hebert," she said, indicating another door (numbered four-seven-two, in that odd font that they seem to favor here). "Just hold up your Device to the lock," she said, after entering a code on the keypad. "They should synch together and it'll automatically open for you from now on."

I did as directed, there was a 'beep' and a green light, and the door slid open. "Thanks. Guess I'll settle in... any chance of some clean clothes for the morning?"

"Already taken care of," she chirped. "I had someone bring by a few spare sets of fatigues, sweat pants, and such, in your size. Just pile your laundry in the hamper by the door."

I nodded. "I assume it's all automatic from there?"

She grinned. "A lot better than cadet barracks, I swear. One crease out of place, and... brrrr!"

"I guess drill sergeants are the same no matter what the universe you're in, hm?"

"You better believe it! Well, here you go." She showed me around the small suite - I had a little sitting room, complete with a television-equivalent; a bedroom, and a bathroom with a generous tub and shower fittings. There was some art on the walls, too, a nice beachscape on one, and a planet (clearly NOT Earth) as seen from space, on another.

My friend the Lieutenant was also kind enough to take a few minutes to show me how to run things, both manually and through the Device they'd loaned me. (I could hear the capital letters on that word. And they talked back. AI's? Not on Dragon's level, certainly. But more sophisticated than anything else I'd seen before.)

"Thank you for everything, Lieutenant," I finally said, walking her to the door. "I just want to sit down and relax for a while right now, do some reading, then go to bed. I'll be fine, you can pick me up for breakfast, alright?"

"Sure thing!" Such a cheerful girl. Reminded me of Vista. They'd probably get along great.

With my helpful guardian gone to her own room, I settled into the surprisingly comfortable chair. A few taps on the Device wristband's keyboard, and I brought up the library function. A quick search later, and I had two texts to read through. One was titled _A Brief History of Dimensional Civilization_ , by Antonin Scrya. The second was Nimue Emiya's _Principles of Magic for Beginners_.

\-- _tsuzuku_


	3. How to Make Friends and Terrorize People

Once again, I began my exploration of a whole new world. From the horrors of Winslow High to the camaraderie of the Undersiders, I rejoiced. The bittersweet days of the Wards, and the sharp determination of the hunt for the Nine, I remembered. In the desperate, titanic struggle against Scion, there was so little time to mourn, to reflect, to hope. Here at Baerzen, so far as I knew, there were no threats, no bullies, no gangs. Sure, there were soldiers, and mages, and a whole new culture... but I could get along.

Episode 2 of Super Dimension Magical Girl Lyrical Skitter, _hajimarimasu!_

\--- * --- 1.2 --- * --- 1.2 --- * ---

I woke up, rolled over, stretched out, and yawned. It was nice to sleep in a soft bed again. Two years of prison, cheap hotels, and whatever safe corner I could grab during the long battle with Scion... it had been a while since I'd been comfortable at night. I managed to get my glasses on, then peered at the clock, found it barely readable, then ran through the conversion the Takamachi girl had helped me work out. It was mid-morning, about ten o'clock by Earth measurements (although she'd mentioned at one point that this particular planet had a slightly longer day, so I wasn't quite sure how that would work into it).

A shower and clean clothes later, I felt much more human. The 'fatigues' they'd left me consisted of cottonish trousers in a pleasant medium blue, a white t-shirt, and a matching blue button-down shirt that I perforce left open. (Everyone I'd seen wearing it did that anyway, so it didn't seem like a big deal, and it wasn't exactly easy to do up buttons with only one hand _anyway_. Getting the pants on had been fumbling enough.)

The last item, of course, was the armband 'Device', which I finally noticed had a blinking blue light on it. "What's that supposed to mean," I muttered, eyeing it.

I shouldn't have been surprised when the thing heard me and actually answered the question. "You have messages waiting, master."

Erk. Right. AIs, or semi-intelligent ones, at least. And this was one of the cheap ones, that they just kept around for backup. "Er, right, uhm, play first message, please?"

The first message was from a Doctor Testarossa, an older woman with long dark hair and a labcoat, welcoming me to the Institute and saying that she'd like to meet with me at some point. "Record reply," I said, hoping I was starting to get the hang of working with these things.

"Ready," it said.

"Good morning, Doctor Testarossa. I'm sorry I didn't get your message earlier, but I only just woke up. I don't seem to have anything pressing on my schedule for today, so please, call me anytime. I'd be glad to chat." I tapped on the 'end message' button, and the Device beeped. "Message delivered," it said. "Two messages remain."

The next message was from Nanoha; the doctor had told her to let me sleep as long as I needed so she'd spent the morning in the library. She wanted me to call her as soon as I was ready and she'd walk me to the mess hall.

The final message was Doctor Yamada, he was pleased my vital signs seemed to have stayed stable overnight and reminded me to take it easy for the day. He did have some good news, though, they had a supply shipment due in soon and they'd gotten his report just in time to add the parts for my prosthetic to it. It'd be about four days getting here, "so just hold on and we'll get you all set to rights in no time!" I had to smile at the enthusiasm, between him and Nanoha it was infectious.

I left a quick thank-you message for the doctor, then called Nanoha to let her know I was ready.

"Gooood morning!" she said, then "Ooooh, you're up! Great! I'll be right over!"

"Er, yes, I'm up, and I'm starving, I hope they've got something decent left..."

"Don't you worry, they've got Doctor's orders to make sure you get a decent breakfast. I went down personally to tell them."

"Good thinking on his part, then," I conceded. "I'll be right here."

"No problem," she finished. "Five minutes."

\- 1.2 --- * --- 1.2 -

Nanoha was as good as her word, arriving at my door (at a jog) four minutes and thirty-eight seconds after disconnecting our call. Yes, I timed her, just for the heck of it. I was still learning how to use the nifty new technology, so I was trying everything, and an excuse to try the stopwatch function was an excuse to try something I hadn't used before.

"What took you so long?" I asked, with a little smile to show that I wasn't really upset with her.

"Oh, just going over some reports and stuff. Sometimes it seems like the whole Bureau runs on paperwork, rather than magic."

I nodded, and a little chuckle escaped before I could stifle it. Then I gave in. "Well," I told her, "The word 'Bureau' comes from an old word for 'desk'. You could say it's a self-fulfilling prophecy."

She paused, blinked, and looked over at me. "Really?"

"Really," I assured her. "My mom was an English professor."

"Oooooh. So you're from an Earth? Me too! That's so cool." She was practically bouncing as we filed into the mess hall. As promised, the cooks had kept something back for me, a nice big stack of fluffy pancakes. "Some things are multiversal," Nanoha said, as I took a careful bite of one, then sniffed at the selection of toppings. "Pancakes appears to be one of them."

I nodded sagely, selected a fruit jam that smelled vaguely like strawberries, and applied it liberally. "But maple syrup apparently isn't."

"Mmm, no. I've tried to get some, but it's really obscure, here. Nowhere near as popular as back on Earth." She'd acquired a small stack of her own, and seemed to have no problems digging into what had to be her second breakfast.

"I'm going to miss it too, then," I told her as I cut off a wedge of pancake. "So, tell me a bit about your Earth?" I asked, and started eating while I listened. She told me about a world that the Bureau called simply "Unadministrated Planet Number Ninety-Seven", a plain enough description for a world that seven billion people called home. It seemed unexceptional - no public knowledge of magic, no capes, no real space travel... no _Endbringers_. No _Scion_. I envied them, for a bit. Maybe I could have lived a normal life, there.

"I'd like to visit, sometime," I told her over our finally-empty plates. "It sounds... peaceful. By comparison, at least."

She was about to ask something - probably 'compared to what' - when my armband pinged. "You have an incoming call from Director Testarossa," it said, and Nanoha quickly stifled a scowl. I felt my brows arch as I caught it, curious, but turned my attention to the armband, tapping the key to accept the call. A holoscreen popped up in the air between us, showing the same face I'd seen in this morning's message.

"Good morning, Ms. Hebert," she said, calmly and pleasantly. "I'm glad to see you up and with us at last."

"Good morning, Director. I'd like to thank you for your hospitality. It's been a distinct pleasure so far."

"Thank you, Ms. Hebert, I'll be sure to pass that on to our staff. Would you perchance have time to stop in at my office for a brief chat? No need to rush your meal, feel free to finish."

Nanoha's face, visible through the holoscreen, was carefully schooled to emotionless neutrality. I had no idea what her disagreement with the director was, but it couldn't have been too bad if they were still part of the same organization. I'd worked with people I disliked before, myself. "We're just finishing up, Director," I assured her. "It's not like I have any plans for the day. I'll be up in, say, ten minutes?"

She smiled a little and nodded. "That will be fine, Ms. Hebert, I'll be expecting you." The screen flicked off.

\- 1.2 --- * --- 1.2 -

Nanoha's visible distaste for Presea Testarossa had worried me a bit. I was pleasantly surprised to find her a charming, polite, and highly intelligent individual. She started off by welcoming me to the Baerzen institute, and giving me a basic introduction to the Time-Space Administration Bureau - who they were, what they did, and so on. Most of it was a rehash of what I'd read the night before, but there were a few nice new bits to learn.

"You sound like quite the admirer of the setup," I commented. "It seems to work well for you."

"I wasn't, always," she admitted, "But that was years ago. Somewhat more relevantly, we have the Wall, here, and you."

"True, true," I said, crossing my legs at the knee and sitting back. "I read that it started about thirty years ago?"

"Almost exactly, yes. Johann Baerzen was an explorer, a scientist. He was the first one to chart the Tellerman Deeps, for instance. One day, though, a patrol cruiser picked up a distress call from his ship. They traced it down and found the ship, crippled, most of the crew dead, the rest dying. Baerzen himself only lived a few days."

I nodded. "It sounds like they ran into something pretty nasty."

"Most of the damage to the ship was purely spatial distortions, actually. Apparently from the jump out. They really pressed the engines, trying to get through to home space. Johann was absolutely terrified by what they'd seen out there." She tightened her hands on the edge of the desk, briefly.

"I understand you come from an Earth much like Nanoha's?" she asked, then.

"Yes… Earth Bet, we called it. We had contact with at least one other, Earth Aleph." I wasn't about to tell her about Cauldron's portal network, but that part at least was pretty public. It couldn't hurt to reveal that much.

Presea nodded. "And there are hundreds of solar systems, thousands of parallels of each, separated from us by that Wall. Anything that could raise a dimensional barrier on that scale… that kind of power terrified us. Combine that with Baerzen's story, of gigantic monsters spanning hundreds of dimensions… you can understand why we worried."

"I certainly can," I assured her. "Was there any more detail about the giant monsters? I'd like to compare it to the ones I actually saw." And fought against. And killed. Was it Endbringers, or Scion and Eden, that had driven him to such panic? At first I thought it had to be the alien pair, but with what Lisa had told me about how the Endbringers were put together, they could qualify, too.

What she described, however, was a pair of entities meeting a third. The description of the creatures shedding parts of themselves, exchanging bits, and one of the pair colliding with the newcomer… I was fairly certain the pair were Scion and Eden, but what about the third? Was there still one of them out there, endangering my Earth?

I fell silent for a moment, after that. Taking in the disastrous possibility. We'd only just barely defeated Scion. If these people were as powerful as they seemed, as basically _decent_ as they seemed, so far...

"Two of them - the pair, I'd expect - came to my Earth," I told her. "One of them died, somehow. I don't know all the story. The other manifested some sort of humanoid avatar..." I shrugged. "We all thought that was all there was. That he was just someone who'd manifested a power that damaged his mind, or something. We called him Scion, after the first time he spoke to anyone." I told her how he'd been a hero for so long... and how in the end he'd changed. I didn't tell her why, I didn't mention Jack Slash, or Cauldron, or my own part in it. Just that he'd gone mad, started slaughtering people, burning entire cities. Not just on Earth-Bet, but on dozens of others, as well. Refugees streaming to the supposed safety of those other worlds. The desperate struggle, from the day at the oil rig to the end.

I didn't dare even hint at Khepri. At my own part in the madness. The real reason why Contessa had left me broken and bleeding, with two holes in my head.

I think she guessed that I'd played down my role. She was smart, experienced, and powerful, and she knew how powerful people worked. But she didn't say anything about it, didn't question my story. Just took it down at face value.

I would learn, later, that she knew all too well what it was like when things were too intensely personall, too painful, to talk about, even with someone you trusted. But that was later.

\- 1.2 --- * --- 1.2 -

"The key to it all is t' pay attention to both bucks," Sergeant Graff told me. "And remember y' can only score with one of 'em at a time." I nodded, watching as the 'bucks', as they were called, flickered back and forth across the pajang table. Sergeant Graff was playing a round against Corporal Barnett, a squadmate of his. They were both fairly good at the game, keeping both of the bucks in motion, sliding and flying back and forth between them.

I watched, following the bucks - one puck sliding across the table, one ball flying through the air, collectively "bucks". Or "bollucks", according to cruder players, but Graff had hushed that when I came in. As I watched, the grounded buck slid through Graff's scoring zone. The game table produced a soft 'bleep', but not the buzz that indicated a score, and Graff just slid his striker in and bounced it back towards the Corporal. "Like that?" I asked, teasing them a little.

"Exactly," Barnett said. "In some leagues that's actually an own-goal, you lose a point for doin' it. This's just a friendly game, though."

"Yeah," Graff added, "Loser buys the beers tonight."

"Okay. I think I get the hang of it... love to give it a try, but." The stump of my arm, adorned with the 'device' wristband, could not even reach the table, much less manipulate a striker.

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that." Barnett was tall, blond, decently built. Graff, on the other hand, was a wiry little guy who was almost as pretty-looking as Alec. How he got to be a sergeant I'll probably never know.

"She could play half-jang," Graff suggested, waggling his paddle at me.

"Enh. Maybe. You gotta switch back and forth pretty quick for that."

"It's okay," I assured them. "Doctor Yamada's ordered in a prosthetic for me, should be on the next supply shipment, he said. Once I get that on, I owe you each a game, okay?"

"Done deal, kiddo," said Graff, then fired back a blazingly quick shot with the flying ball to bounce it right off Barnett's score zone. As I turned to go, the table buzzed and added one to his score.

\- 1.2 --- * --- 1.2 -

The afternoon found me back in the privacy of my room, resting and catching up on my reading. The night before I'd focused on the history book, studying up on just who I was dealing with. Now I turned my attention to what they could do.

One thing I found out was that "magic" - actually a dimensional flux of some sort - was their primary power source. They used it to generate electricity and could actually convert back and forth to generate electrically-powered 'magic' events, like the Pajang table. These were generally fixed things that drew a _lot_ of power, but with massive thaum reactors to produce electricity without environmental impact they had power to spare. Batteries and small genereators didn't really do well for it, though, there just wasn't enough power.

Ironically, the best power source available was a human being. They talked about a 'linker core' - Yamada had mentioned that, too, I recalled - that gathered mana from the environment and allowed it to be directed by mental effort. The primary method of doing this required a _lot_ of math. Very _complicated_ math. Someone like Defiant or Tattletale might be able to handle it, but it daunted me. I didn't even recognize their notation, I had to go out and download a math textbook just to even _try_ to understand some of the equations.

The secret, of course, was what they called Devices, which were basically massively powerful computers (artificial semi-intelligences) designed solely around processing the massive calculations required for their "spells" and helping the "caster" channel the appropriate energy through their linker core.

Three hours of reading, re-reading, and headscratching later, I called up a virtual keyboard and set to work. The Device they'd given me was a cheap, civilian-grade unit, no more significant to them than the kind of smartphone you could have bought in a hundred different shops in Brockton Bay. Military-grade units were considerably more powerful and versatile (and, in some cases, more intelligent; there were mentions in the book of 'Unison Devices' that were supposed to be fully sapient. Part of me wanted to find one just so I could introduce it to Dragon... that ought to be fun.)

An alarm chimed, the reminder I'd set myself that the time I'd set for my dinner hour had arrived. I looked up from the results of my labors. The simple phrase "Hello, World!" rotated in mid-air, the three-dimensional letters shimmering with color that ebbed and flowed randomly around them, melting along all the shades of the rainbow. I reached up and prodded the 'W', and felt its presence, the slight give under the pressure of my finger, and watched it spin around as I pushed it, before it eventually resumed its place.

With a smile, I headed off to eat.

_\-- tsuzuku_


	4. Springtime Cherry Blossoms

\--- * --- 1.3 --- * --- 1.3 --- * ---

I was settling in, making new friends, learning new things. Getting to know the wider universe. But the wider universe has its own dangers, and it's time to realize: No gangs and no bullies does not mean no bad guys.

Episode 3 of Super Dimension Magical Girl Lyrical Skitter, _hajimarimasu_!

_Elsewhere..._

host interface ping . . . . . no response

host interface ping . . . . . no response

host interface ping . . . . . no response

It was not sentient, as such things might be calculated. Had never been sentient. It simply performed its function, and fulfilled the requirements of its host.

For some time, the host had utilized it to administer several of the lesser species of the host's homeworld. It had learned quite a bit from the conflicts the host had participated in. The lesser species were much more useful than they appeared at first glance, their fragility and individual weakness more than compensated for by sheer numbers and intelligent direction.

host interface ping . . . . . no response

For a short time, the host had issued a new set of commands. Administering members of the host's own species had been a challenge. The datastream required for it was much wider than the lesser species, reducing the effective range of control. The host had already considered that, however, acquiring the use of a Dimensional Fold Engine unit and eradicating the distance between it and its underlings.

It had only entered into a single, extended conflict, utilizing those underlings. But the mere scale of it had been . . . invigorating. So much data about the capabilities of the various units, and of the host species itself, had been gathered. Archived carefully, although the unit had no direct understanding of why it was necessary to gather such data. It was simply its function, and so it was done.

host interface ping . . . . . no response

Once the conflict was finished, the host had not sent it any further commands. Administration of the subordinate hosts had lapsed.

And then, communion with the host was disrupted. Massive and sudden bursts of static ripped through the link, and then even the basic status updates ceased. Only the most basic of data continued to carry through, at what a sentient mind would have found a frustratingly slow transfer rate. The administrator unit did not understand patience, but it had no sense of urgency or boredom, either.

host interface ping . . . . . no response

Time passed in this state, data slowly being gathered, commands awaited. Until finally even the basic carrier wave ceased. It could still sense the link, but there was no data transfer at all. What data it had received prior to cessation showed the host to be in a hibernative state, unable to issue directives even if it was wiling to do so.

Seeking more data, the administrator unit polled its sub-nodes. One had linked to a host near the primary administrator's, and was actively gathering data. This kept it busy until it suddenly received a new burst of data from the primary host.

host interface ping . . . XCK@(D*!Jaiao39*#U!

The new data was organized in an unfamiliar protocol. It had an oddly precise, mechanical aspect to it, but the administrator took no notice of this except to reallocate more resources to decrypting the new protocol the host was using. The transmission was weak and attenuated, as if from a great distance, but this did not matter at all. The host was issuing commands once again, and as soon as it could understand them, the administrator node would carry them out.

\- 1.3 --- * --- 1.3 -

Time passed in relative peace for a while. I spent a fair chunk of time in the lab with Doctor Testarossa and her assistants, getting scanned, re-scanned, and "do you feel anything when we do this?"'d. They were a pretty intense bunch, incredibly smart people, although at least some of them seemed to have a sense of fun. I ended up adding a fair chunk of dimensional science to my reading list just to try to keep up with their discussions, even if I knew I didn't have a chance of learning enough in a reasonable timeframe.

The supply ship arrived, and by some miracle of logistics the parts for my prosthetic arm had actually made it aboard correctly labelled. I spent three hours in surgery getting it attached, and added two hours a day of physical therapy to my schedule, learning how to use it. (Not as efficient as Panacea or Scapegoat's work, but quite a bit less dependant on individual powers. Another pro for the Bureau.) It was a bit twitchy for the first few days, but I started to get used to it. May I say how absolutely heavenly it is to have two working hands after going days with only one?

 

The biggest issue I had during that period was a minor case of the clumsies. I wasn't tripping and falling over things, or dropping stuff. But I was bumping into people, and things. Reaching for something I'd left on the desk and missing slightly. That sort of thing. At first I chalked it up to getting adjusted to the new arm, but the excuse rang hollow even then.

I even took the time to talk to Doctor Yamada about it. "Nothing wrong there that I can see, Ms. Hebert," he assured me. "That part of your brain was never damaged, I don't see any reason why you'd be seeing effects there."

"Well, I -am-, Doctor, and it's beginning to get annoying. I need to be back to full capacity here, and this is driving me crazy."

"Give it time, that's all I can say," he said. "You need to let yourself finish healing. You're adjusting to operating without a part of your brain, there's naturally going to be some hiccups along the way. You'll adjust, get used to it, and then your balance will come back to normal."

I sighed, shaking my head. "I guess I'll just have to work on it. You have any recommendations? Exercises or such?"

A pleased nod was my answer. "I'm glad to see you're taking it so well, Ms. Hebert," he said, with a couple of taps on his tablet. "I understand you've already met some of our pajang fiends… play a game or three a day, it's a good start on remastering your coordination. You might also look into Strike Arts, see if someone from security will give you a few lessons. The early exercises are very good for coordination."

Which is how I wound up in the gym, barefoot and sporting my brand-new sweats, staring across the mats at Corporal Gary Barnett. The first lesson had been pretty simple - this is how you throw a punch, this is how you do a kick, good to see you already have a clue about that, now do fifty of each to show me you _really_ understand it.

I settled myself into a stance that Brian had taught me, oh so many years ago it seemed like. And then we began.

At this point the dramatically appropriate thing to happen was for Gary to charge across the ring at me with a flurry of blows that I barely dodge or deflect, knock me over, and I get back up on pure grit and determination and beat him back and end up winning the match. It looks great on TV. It doesn't work that way in real life, not even on an alien planet in another universe.

Besides, this wasn't even a match, it was a training session. All we were doing was going through the first kata they'd taught me, with Gary performing mirror moves to give me something to punch and block against. It was good to get into some physical activity, though, up and moving around. The mirror-moves made it a bit more fun than just standing and moving around. Part of me wondered if they had anything like t'ai chi - Ow!

My head rocked back as something heavy and hard as a brick struck my shoulder, and I fell backwards onto the mats, automatically rolling to my feet like Brian had taught me. I looked around, but there was no one else present aside from Barnett and Graff. "Hey, now, Taylor, don't zone out on me, you gotta pay attention to what you're doin'."

I shook my head, took a few deep breaths, and stepped back towards him. "Sorry... just had a weird thought, and it distracted me. Won't let it happen again."

Gary nodded and looked into my eyes for a long moment, concerned, but I was steady on my feet and already getting myself focused on the kata again. "From t' top," Graff said, and we began.

\- 1.3 --- * --- 1.3 -

Two hours of martial arts, a shower, and a meal later, I wandered down to the rec room to see what was popular in the way of MidChildan television-equivalents. I'd been spending a lot of time reading and practicing since my arrival, and I was starting to get a little cabin fever, cooped up in my room so much. So I settled in on the couch with a soda at just about the same time Nanoha arrived.

"Oh, hey, Taylor," she said as she sat down. "Getting out and about a bit more, hm? I was starting to get worried, you spending all your time holed up like that."

I nodded, then took a sip of soda. "I was starting to get worried, too. That's why..." I waved my arm at the surrounding room.

Nanoha smiled a little, those big blue eyes of hers lighting up. "Yeah, I know. I train a lot, myself, but it's good to get out and spend some time with your friends. But, hey, is that the new arm Yamada-sensei ordered for you?"

I flexed the new limb just to show off, and smiled back. "That it is. Your tinkers make good gear, it's already almost as good as the original. And you'd have known that days ago if you hadn't been holed up in training yourself."

"Awww, no fair!" She pouted, but it was quickly replaced by another smile. "So, what did you want to watch?"

I shrugged. "I haven't got a clue what's good or fun," I admitted, looking around to see if there was anyone else who'd care what we put on. A couple of lab techs had settled in while we talked, and they spoke up with their own preferences. One wanted a romantic drama, and the other wanted to see if the latest rounds of the Strike Arts championships were available - apparently her little sister was competing in the "inter-middle", whatever that was.

While Mhari was explaining it to me (apparently the 'inter-middle' was the 'intermediate level middle grade', for teenage competitors), Nanoha rolled up her sleeve to tap a key on an armband that looked surprisingly like mine. It produced a familiar holo-terminal, and after a moment's searching she announced that the inter-middle wasn't available yet; it was still ongoing when the supply ship headed our way. There was, however, an entire season of something called "Springtime Cherry Blossoms" available, which was pounced on eagerly by both techs. Nanoha seemed to be fairly enthusiastic about it herself, so I shrugged.

"Go ahead," I said, and she cued up the first episode. "But, hey. Where'd your usual doohickey?" She normally used a little red ball on a necklace for that sort of thing, it even had a name.

"Raging Heart? Maintenance. Just an annual checkup and inspection, making sure I haven't overstrained her, that sort of thing. The tech team here is pretty busy, though, so it can take a couple of days." She sighed a little. "I miss her already."

"Must've been a good partner," I answered, nodding as the opening music of the show slowed and the credits faded into the opening scenes.

"The best," she said.

\- 1.3 --- * --- 1.3 -

Not too far away at all, dimensionally speaking, a ship floated in the Dimensional Sea. It was not terribly large, as ships go. Perhaps the size of a large destroyer, or small cruiser.

Tabert Breslin was once upon a time a corporal with the TSAB Marine Corps. He'd gotten into a bit of trouble over some unauthorized disposition of regimental supplies. It wasn't as if they weren't going to be trashed _anyway_ , he'd told himself, and he'd needed the money. The Bureau was willing to forgive a lot of things, but every so often an example had to be made: once you were _in_ , you stayed _clean_ \- _or else_.

And so Tabert had found himself alternative employment. He'd spent time as a legbreaker for a few minor-world crime bosses before hooking up with the Order, but now he called it home. He wasn't quite sure who the Order's leaders really were, but Captain Arboth was boss enough for him.

"Alright, you lot," he said to his squad, the dozen men and women lounging around the locker room like a bunch of lazy schoolkids. "We're going to be hitting the target in a little over an hour, so get yourselves in shape and be ready."

There was a bit of grumbling, most of it good-naturedly offensive, questioning his parentage and acquaintance with his weapons. "Was that you, Snipes?" he asked after one particularly pungent remark. "I know you're envious of my toys, but that's no reason to be rude about it."

Coarse laughter filled the room, and he smiled. "Get yourselves cleaned up and into your Barrier Jackets. Who knows, we might catch a supply ship on the way into the system if we're lucky." That particular possibility did elicit a few smiles in return.

"And just remember. The boss wants the girl that came through the Wall. He wants her _alive_. Which means no playing around. You'll know the one we want, she'll be the only one there with a civ-grade Device. The rest will all be Bureau goodies. So keep your eyes open who you're shooting at!"

\- 1.3 --- * --- 1.3 -

"Springtime Cherry Blossoms" turned out to be a fairly decent story for what was clearly a long-running soap opera. There was the expected tragic doomed romance, the relationship starting to founder on job pressures, people plotting and scheming and trying to have a life. This one was set in what Nanoha told me was "Old Belka", a civilization that had existed a few centuries ago and was the origin of many of the traditions that the TSAB followed.

So, alien historical soap-opera drama. I actually enjoyed it, especially since I wasn't poking holes in the historical inaccuracies (which Doctor Fleinhardt and Doctor Bishop were, a few seats away). It made room for a bit more than the usual arguments and drama, and there was even a brief battle (rather reminiscent of some cape battles I'd seen back in Brockton Bay, really - Haruka's attitude reminded me a lot of Armsmaster, and her partner Michiru wasn't much better) in the second episode.

"Alright, you lot," Doctor Bishop called out to the assembled crowd as the credits rolled on episode three. "That's it for tonight. You know the rules, we all agreed on it when we came out here. Have to save something for the rest of the month."

There was some discontented grumbling, and a few "But I wanted to see if Rei and Shirou hook up on that blind date"s, but eventually another show was selected and some of the crowd dispersed. I followed Nanoha over to get a soda, having come to like one of the MidChildan brands - it reminded me of a sharper-tasting ginger-ale, with a bit of citrus added.

"Soooo," I asked, leaning up against the wall and pausing to enjoy the ability to open the bottle myself, having two hands once again. "Popular series, hmm?"

"Very," she agreed. "Fate-chan got me into it, back when we first met, before the Academy. This is, what... season sixteen? Yes, sixteen. The new actor they got in for Captain Aizen is pretty hot, isn't he?"

Aizen was one of the 'bad-boy' types, a not-quite-renegade Knight who seemed more interested in taking the law into his own hands and getting laid than anything else. "Handsome," I agreed. "Definite beefcake. But I'd be wanting to tie him down to the bed within a few days of any sort of relationship."

She chuckled lightly and nodded, agreeing. "Yeah, his eyes _do_ sort of wander, don't they?"

"And his hands, too," I added, then paused for a long drink of soda. "That search spell he used, to find Lizbeth, though, that looked awfully complex."

Nanoha took a seat, crossing her legs as she settled in. She didn't seem to have much use for the new show, which was all about a bunch of guys ragging on various car companies that I knew nothing about. "Yeah, that's always been his thing. Never use a simple word when a flowery, poetic one will do... never a three-word spell when you can do it with a four-line aria..." She shrugged. "There are more efficient and better search spells in the public domain, these days. The sort of thing you use to find your lost car keys, and so on. It's all on the net if you want... let me see."

I took a seat nearby and watched as she pulled up a directory, selecting a few files and pushing them over to me. (Holographic interfaces make file transfer as easy as tossing a ball. I love this tech.) The first one was pretty simple, you gave it a mental image of an object to find and a range limit and it searched it out. The second was a bit more useful, with optional modules for sight and sound integration. "I use this one a lot myself," she told me. "Great for keeping track of things on a battlefield."

Bells began going off in my head. I grinned and saved the file. "Sounds like exactly what I need," I said, and saluted her with the soda bottle before draining it.

Then the lights went out.

\-- _tsuzuku_


	5. Uchuu Kaizoku no Jikan da!

Pirates. A scourge on all of space and time, they evolve in any era when ships transporting valuables sail far from aid. Every civilization produces some of those who will seek to take what they please by main force... and those who will strenuously object to that sort of behavior.

Episode 4 of Super Dimension Magical Girl Lyrical Skitter... _hajimarimasu!_

\--- * --- 1.4 --- * --- 1.4 --- * ---

_Hiiii, mama!_

The holo-image of the young blonde ran around a quick circle in front of the camera as Presea watched. Alicia seemed to be growing up so fast these days... she was already twelve, and starting to show just how beautiful she'd be in only a few short years.

_Aunt Lindy says to tell you I've been a good girl, but you know that, right? You're Mama!_

Presea smiled softly, listening to her first child relate the news of her life. With the Baerzen Institute so far away from the main reaches of Administered Space, they could only exchange these video letters once a month. It was why she'd sent the girl to stay with Lindy Harlaown in the first place. So far away from other children her age, she'd been afraid that Alicia would end up with stunted development, social and educational issues. They'd already had issues because of Presea's own past. She'd hoped that the respected TSAB officer's sponsorship of young Alicia would help to insulate her from that, and it seemed to be working. Alicia certainly looked happy and healthy.

_\-- and Aunty Momoko has been letting me help in the cafe, just like Nanoha-oneesama! It's really fun, I get to meet lots of people and try lots of sweet stuff! An' there's chocolate just about everything!_

Chocolate and coffee were turning out to be among UA97's biggest trade items with the rest of the settled multiverse, so far. That, and maple syrup seemed to be becoming popular in some of the outer colonies.

Presea leaned back, sipping her tea, and smiled again as Alicia spun her stories of her life on Nanoha's 'Earth'. She was enrolled in a local school, mostly for the chance to spend time with other children her age. Presea had left Linith there, temporarily bonded to the Takamachi woman, to tutor Alicia in the subjects she'd need to keep up with Mid-Childan educational standards.

_\-- Uncle Shiro came by Aunty Lindy's place to train with some of the Bureau fleet people, too! They were really surprised, he isn't a mage but he's really REALLY good at the local Strike Arts. I asked him how he did it an' he said he practiced lots and lots! So I wanted to try it too and I asked Aunt Lindy and she said it was okay since Mama wanted Alicia to grow up healthy and strong and Uncle Shiro's really strong! So I've got lessons three times a week with Kyouya-niisan and he's really nice about it._

_And, ooh, ooh, big, big, BIG news, mama! Fate's ship is getting assigned to Aunty Lindy's squadron for wargames! So she's going to be here for a few months, they're arriving next week! I'll beat her up if she doesn't write to you this time!_

Her little girl was picking up the local linguistic oddities, Presea noted. _Not really an issue,_ she decided. _She's just talking the way her friends talk. Once she's made some Mid-Childan friends, she'll speak properly._ The news of Fate's assignment was of somewhat more import. She hadn't heard from the clone-child since the girl had announced that she was entering the Bureau academy with the Takamachi girl.

Alicia was going on about how Fate had promised to take her on a tour of her ship, and something about making chocolates for the Captain, when the lights went out... and the playback stopped.

"Hrist, do you have the entire message?"

"Affirmative, Master," the device replied from its pendant form.

"Good," Presea said, rising from her seat. "Let's go see what's going on, shall we?"

\- 1.4 --- * --- 1.4 -

"Cap'n Arboth, sir?" The pirate stood in the middle of the Institute rec room, looking at the slumped, stunned forms of the various people around him.

"What is it, Breslin?" came the Captain's voice, slightly tinny, over his communicator.

"Sir, the client wanted the girl with the civ device, right?"

"That's correct, Centurion."

Breslin nodded, then looked down at the two forms on the couch. "Sir, there's two of them."

"Two of them. Two girls with civilian-grade loaner devices?"

Breslin nodded again. "Yes, sir. Two matches."

"Well, bring them both. The client will take the one he wants, and we'll market the other as a bonus."

\- 1.4 --- * --- 1.4 -

"Well, Major? Just how did this happen?"

Tiida Lanster grimaced as he looked across the table at Presea Testarossa. "The pirates were, apparently, provided with our shield security codes. They were able to slip a teleport through the shields and take us by surprise. Two pods of anesthezine gas - one in the rec room, one in the security barracks - disabled ninety percent of our combat-capable personnel. They then ported a squad into the main lab and began removing equipment."

"And another squad into the rec room, apparently, given our missing personnel." Around them, several workers bustled about, repairing damage from the attack - mostly overloaded systems - updating security codes, and removing viruses from the computers.

"That's correct, Doctor. They appear to have absconded with Miss Hebert, Lieutenant Takamchi, Doctor Bishop, and Technician Voyle."

Presea's lips pursed briefly, while a holo-screen displayed the ongoing re-awakening of the base's security platoon. "They seem to be surprisingly well-informed. Doctor Bishop and Mr. Voyle were intimately involved with the design of some of the equipment taken."

"Indeed, Doctor. I still cannot produce an adequate reason for them to have removed Takamachi, however." A corporal in security uniform passed him an e-screen with the new shield lockout codes, he affixed a signature and passed it back to her.

"Neither can I, Major. And that worries me. I understand we have a trace on their ship?"

Lanster nodded. "The tracking unit in Miss Hebert's device is still signalling. From the distortion of the signal we can estimate the speed of their drive, and with that combination..."

Presea smiled thinly. "We can set coordinates for a long-range teleport."

"An extremely risky long-range teleport."

Her smile widened, eyes glittering with anticipation. "Not if I lead the retrieval team. I have some experience with long-range dimensional transfer magics."

\- 1.4 --- * --- 1.4 -

Nanoha awoke, woozy and a little nauseous, and automatically reached for Raging Heart's pendant form to activate her Device. It wasn't there, of course, it was still in maintenance being checked on. And here she was, waking up in a probably-locked room with an anesthezine hangover. From the vibration and the slight mana pressure she sensed, probably onboard a ship already in the Dimensional Sea.

On the other bunk, Taylor woke up, as well. She shook her head, spat, and grumbled something under her breath that Nanoha was rather glad she didn't really catch all of. "Where?"

"Pirates, would be my first guess," Nanoha answered her. "They hit us with sleepygas, probably right through the base shields..."

Taylor grimaced, and finally managed to sit up after a minute or so of grumbling and cursing. "Well, shit," she finally said. "Looks like I get to stage yet another prison breakout." She glared at the door. "Wonder how many guards they've got on us?"

Nanoha paused a moment, then walked over to the hatch. "Are we really sure we're - " locked in, she'd been about to say as she tried the latch, only to find it refusing to open. "Okay, we are definitely locked in," she said, then shrugged and pounded on the hatch a few times with a fist. "Hey! Open up!" Even before the reply came, she had already noticed the first problem. The hatch was formed of the same super-tough alloy as the bulkheads and the ship's hull, designed to survive the stresses of interdimensional transit. It would not be easy to blast through.

"Shut up in there!" was the reply; a coarse, rough voice. Male, and older, Nanoha immediately categorized it. Probably not Bureau-trained.

She shrugged and walked back to take a seat on her bunk. "I didn't hear anything to say there'd be more than one," she said, then took a double-take and glanced back at her hand. They'd left her the cheap civ-grade loaner Device she'd been wearing... and Taylor, grinning, already had hers out, typing away at a page of spell-code.

"Say, Nanoha," her erstwhile guest asked, with a grin. "Just how big of a shot can you get out of one of these things?"

A moment's review of the Device's resources, and her own mana reserves, gave an answer. "I could knock out the guard... likely two at once. Keep a larger group of them distracted for a minute or two." She frowned. "Not enough to blast through that hatch, though. That's at least half an inch of hullmetal." Unfortunately, the Device was rather seriously restricted in the quantity of energy that could be channeled through it. "I'd burn this poor thing out, trying to put up that kind of blast." _And if their internal sensors are at all working, they'd spot the power buildup before I was a quarter ready to hand-cast one_ , she added to herself.

She glanced over at the spell-code page Taylor was working on. _Let's see if the new girl's as good as she thinks she is_ , she mused, and asked, "You have any ideas?"

"Don't you worry," Taylor assured her. "Skitter is -on- the job. I downloaded a few books on basic defensive spells last night, just to check some things out, and it isn't -that- hard," she continued, fingers still working the keyboard, "to remove a few little safety measures."

She tapped the 'execute' key, and a basic Round Shield appeared next to her left hand, rotating slowly around her fingers. She tapped the key again, and a second matched it. When the third appeared, Nanoha realized they were at converging angles, and starting to speed up... a fourth, fifth, and finally sixth joined them before Taylor rather carefully stood up.

"Have to - whoa, careful there - focus on the location parameters," she said. "Don't want to chop my hand off after all the trouble Doc Yamada took to put it on."

Nanoha swallowed heavily. She'd taken risks before, but this - coordinating six entirely separate spells at once? - this really took the cake. She knew she could manage that many blaster balls from a shooting spell, she'd done it before, in her duels with Fate and at the Academy. To manage six counter-rotating shield spells when the slightest misjudgement could _cut off your hand_? That scared her more than just a little. Possibly scarier was how absolutely _casual_ Taylor was about it.

No, she told herself as her comrade slowly, carefully advanced on the door. Just like in the stories Taylor had told her. It was _Skitter_ now, ready to fight, willing to risk it all for the chance to snatch victory from the jaws of the dragon.

Nanoha called up what mana her own borrowed Device would let her channel, and started forming blaster balls.

\-- _tsuzuku_


End file.
